by Mae Doyle
“You don’t belong here.” His voice was so low that my friends couldn’t hear it. “You think that you can use your dead daddy’s money and buy your way into the best school in the country? Think again, Rose, and look around, because this is the last time you’re going to see your room. You need to leave and not come back.”
“Not a chance.” My voice was just as low. “And if you try to force me out, Brett, you’ll regret it.” I had no idea what I was saying, but the words just slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. From the look on his face, he was even more pissed.
He growled and turned, pushing past my friends as he shoved his way out of the door. They both stared at me, their faces pale. “Rose, what happened?” Maggie took a step towards me, reaching out her hands for me, but I shook my head. There was no way that I was going to drag my friends down with me.
Not only was I in the wrong place at the wrong time when I was younger, but then I managed to bring Brett’s wrath back on me. Even though I wanted to be at Taylor Prep and I wanted to do what my dad had told me, there was part of me that couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was right. If maybe I didn’t belong here.
◆◆◆
“Isn’t this the life?” Harper’s voice carried across her pool, where the three of us were sprawled in our bikinis on floats, drinking virgin margaritas and eating chips and salsa. Being here has made it almost possible for me to forget all of the drama going on at Taylor Prep. If only there were a way that the three of us could live here and not have to worry about going back then I’d be the happiest girl ever.
But even as I thought that, I knew that our time out of school was growing short. We needed to be packed up and in the car within an hour, and that meant getting out of the pool and no longer stuffing ourselves on chips and salsa.
“Girls, time to come into the house and get ready to go!” Harper’s mom called from the patio where she’d been sunning herself. She was thinner than me, with long blonde hair that she wore in a messy topknot on her head and hadn’t taken off her pearls the entire time we’d been here.
The three of us paddled over to her and she handed us each a towel. “Here you go, girls. Now, Rosie, the chef saw last night how much you liked his sinful chocolate cake, so he made you one to sneak back to school today.”
“Mom, it’s Rose!” Harper stopped drying her hair long enough to glare at her mom.
I laughed and took the towel she handed me. “Honestly, Mrs. Pierce, you can call me whatever you want if you’re going to send me back to school with a cake.” She chuckled. She and her husband had made their fortune as art dealers in Europe. Harper had told me that when she was growing up, she was often left on her own with the nanny while her parents travelled for work.
In fact, she said once that her mom only stopped working out of the country so much when she heard Harper call the nanny “mom”. After that, she left the company that she’d worked so hard to build so that she could be at home raising Harper. Her dad continued to travel and deal in art, which is how they had the biggest mansion I’d ever been in.
“Well, you girls are always welcome here. I know how hard it can be to get home when you live far away, and Harper told me that your mom has a pretty rough work schedule.” Her kind eyes bored into me, and I dipped my head so that I wouldn’t have to look at her. She reminded me so much of my mom that it was hard for me not to tear up when she was being so loving. “Anyway,” she continued, interrupting my thoughts, “it’s time to go. Michael packed your bags in the car, so all you three have to do is change and then hop in it.” She turned to me. “The cake is in the backseat all ready for you, and I stuck three forks in there, but you decide if you want to share or not.”
I grinned back at her. “Thanks so much for having us.” Before I could say anything else, she reached out and pulled me into a hug.
“Anytime, Rose. You too, Maggie,” she said, looking over my head and reaching for my friend. Even Harper walked over and joined in our group hug. We all held each other for a moment before letting go and stepping back. I had to fight hard not to wipe my eyes because I didn’t want anyone to realize how much that hug meant to me.
We changed and hopped into the limo, digging into the cake before we’d even made it down the driveway. The entire time back to Taylor Prep we talked and laughed, but by the time we pulled up through the gates, I’d fallen silent.
It was easy for me to get lost this past weekend and think that nothing bad was going to happen, but I knew that Brett and Amelia were waiting for me. And, thanks to Mr. Taylor’s announcement last week that the school was going into lockdown, I knew that I had nothing but time with the two of them.
All I could do was hope that they had forgotten about how I’d slighted them last week, but since we had voice class the next day and Brett had always been great at holding a grudge, I knew that that wasn’t possible.
Chapter 9
“Looks like you had a good weekend, Rosita.” Jackie was turned around in his chair before Mr. Staton made it into the room. He smelled delicious, and being this close to him made me want to reach out and touch him. I really just wanted to know if all of the muscles were as hard as they looked, but instead I grabbed my pencil and tapped it on my desk.
“We did. It was nice to get out of here for a bit.” Glancing over, I saw that Brett was openly staring at me.
“Glad to hear it. You know, though, I think that you managed to piss a few people off before you left.” Amelia was sitting next to me, clearly listening in to our conversation, but I was doing everything I possibly could to ignore her.
“She stole my position as head of the vocal group.” Jackie lazily looked over at his cousin, and I followed her gaze. It didn’t seem fair that even when she was so pissed, she still looked gorgeous. She caught my eye and frowned. “It would just be such a shame if suddenly you couldn’t sing. Although, Rose, you already survived one big accident, so what’s one more?”
I knew that she was bluffing, or at least I hoped so. “I could lead the group from a hospital bed, Amelia. You can’t even lead it in the voice room with the teacher coaching you on.” Shrugging, I looked away from her, but not before she reached over and knocked my coffee mug.
It fell, the lid flying off as it hit my desk, hot coffee pouring not only all over my lap, but also on the papers on my desk. I stood up as quickly as possible, flapping my hands to try to get the burning liquid off of them.
“What the hell, Amelia?” My voice cut through the quiet of the room right as Mr. Staton walked in. My skin felt like it was on fire where the coffee had soaked through my clothes, and it dripped loudly on the floor while he stared at me.
“Everything okay there, Miss Bennett?” His voice was dry and he raised an eyebrow, but I got the feeling he’d actually seen everything from the door and wasn’t really concerned.
“I need to go change, sir.” My teeth were gritted and I tried to ignore the fact that all of the papers on my desk were now ruined. Glancing at Amelia, I saw that she was smirking. She looked at me and then shrugged, reaching out carefully to take a sip of her coffee. Bitch.
“You may, but not until after the announcements.” He leaned on his desk, and like magic, the intercom clicked on. I thought about sitting down but just stood there, dripping coffee on the floor while Mr. Taylor droned on.
He was almost done with the announcements when my ears perked up at what he was saying. “Now that you are all back from your free time away from the academy, remember that we are in lockdown mode. This not only means that nobody may leave the campus, as it will force you to focus on your studies instead of on frivolities, but also that your cell phones will be confiscated if they are out during or between classes. While this may seem harsh to some of you, the students who are looking forward to success at Taylor Prep will understand that this is for your benefit.”
My jaw dropped open, but nobody else in the class seemed to be surprised about his announcement regarding our phones, nor did they
care. The last thing I wanted to do was leave my phone in my room or locker, especially when I had a giant target on my back.
“Leave them in your rooms in the morning,” he continued. “Our student leaders are given the ability to take phones at any time, and if they are confiscated, they won’t be returned until the end of the semester.”
My eyebrows raised, I looked around the room again. This was the first that I had heard anything about student leaders. Who the hell were they, and how were they chosen? The intercom clicked off and I took a tentative step forward, not wanting to slip in the coffee on my way out of the room.
Brett locked his eyes on mine and stood up at the same time as I started to walk. I froze, waiting to see what he was going to do, but he just smiled at me. “I’m happy to escort Rose to her room and back, Mr. Staton. You can continue homeroom without us.”
“No, I’m fine.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and everyone in the class turned to look at me. Harper and Maggie looked concerned, but Amelia and her friends looked amused. I glanced down at Jackie, who shrugged and then turned back around.
“Nobody said you weren’t.” Brett paused for a moment while I blushed at his words. “But as a student leader, I think that it’s important to make sure that you don’t run into any problems on your way to your room. After all, I heard that the elevator wasn’t working this morning, and you may need help on the stairs.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could say anything, Mr. Staton nodded. “Very good, Mr. Cox. We will see the two of you in a moment.”
“But, I’m going to change,” I argued. “Why can’t Harper or Maggie come with me instead?” The implication was clear. I didn’t want Brett around me when I was changing. I mean, I kinda did. He was hotter than ever, but I still didn’t want him to see me stripping down or even to be on the other side of my door while I changed.
“I can take her.” Amelia stood up, her glittering eyes locked on mine. “I’m a student leader, too, you know, Rose.” She grinned and I paused, weighing my options. Although being near Brett was a little scary, I had a very good feeling that Amelia would push me down the stairs if she were given the opportunity and then stand over my broken body laughing. The thought gave me chills. Brett definitely wasn’t who I wanted to spend a lot of time with, especially one-on-one, but he was the lesser of two evils in this case, hands down.
“Brett is fine.” I looked back at him, and he nodded. Amelia sat back down, her chair scraping loudly on the floor.
Okay. I learned two things. One – the student leaders were probably all out to get me, especially if they were friends with Brett and Amelia. Two – there seemed to be a hierarchy in the leaders, and Amelia was lower on the totem pole than she probably would have liked. I wasn’t sure how I was going to use this information to my advantage, but I had a pretty good feeling that it would come in handy eventually.
Mr. Staton nodded. “Get back as quickly as possible, you two. No goofing around.” My face flamed as I walked down the aisle of chairs, stepping high over Jackie’s feet. He had them swung into the aisle and was casually leaned back in his chair.
“Just let me know if you ever need help changing, Rosita,” he whispered. My face burned hotter than ever, but I ignored him.
Neither Brett nor I spoke all the way up to my room, but as soon as I had the key in the lock, he leaned on the wall next to my door and chuckled.
“You have something you want to say?” My hand was frozen on my key, even though I was only seconds from turning it a moment before. Being alone with him was terrifying, but part of me was exhilarated. It felt a lot like how I had felt when I leapt from the tree and broke my arm.
Scared to death but willing to face my fear because the possibility of something wonderful waiting for me outweighed the risk. If that’s not messed up, then I don’t know what is.
“I think you should leave Taylor Prep.” He mindlessly drummed his fingers on the wall like the conversation bored him. Even though I wanted to ignore him and get into my room to change, I gritted my teeth to look at him.
We were close. Closer than we probably should be, considering our history. He looked amazing even from across the quad, but being this close in person to Brett made me a little dizzy. There was something about his dark eyes and incredibly thick hair that made me want to run my hands through it and pull him close. I imagined hooking my hands together at the back of his neck and snuggling up to him, but then I shook my head.
You don’t snuggle with someone who hates you.
He must have noticed the change in my face, because he leaned forward, close enough for me to see the flecks of gold in his eyes. “Did you hear what I said, Rosa?”
I nodded. “Sure did, Brett, but I think that it’s bullshit. I’m not going to leave, and you need to get over yourself thinking that you can drive me out.” Pausing, I turned the key in my lock and swung my door wide open. Clean clothes were just a few steps away, but I couldn’t help but turn back to him one more time. “Besides, if either one of us should leave, don’t you think it should be the murderer?”
He gasped and then lunged at me, throwing me into my room. I tripped backwards and fell onto my bed, landing with a groan as the air left my lungs, but before I could sit up, he had launched himself across the room and was straddling me. We weren’t kids anymore, and I already knew that there wasn’t any way that I could buck him off of me. His knees were pressed into my sides and he had his hands on my shoulders, pushing me down into my mattress.
“What did you say?” His voice was low and thick, and he had his eyes trained on mine. I felt like I could easily get lost in their caramel color if I weren’t afraid of what he wanted to do to me.
“I said you were a murderer.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. He sat up, grinding his hips into me as he did. I felt something hard press against me, and I glanced down, unsure of what it was.
Yep. That’s what it was. My face bright red, I looked back up at him. He smirked at me, watching me try to figure out what to do.
“And I thought that you were smart enough not to bring that up, Rosa.” He practically spat the words at me, he was so angry. Even though I could tell that he would just as soon kill me as look at me, something tugged low in my stomach. My body was a traitor, but I couldn’t help it. “I thought that we came to that agreement years ago.”
I remembered our agreement. I remembered it like it was yesterday, even though I tried my best to forget it. Even though I knew that I should say something to him to try to placate him, no words came to my lips.
“Nothing to say? You’ve been running your mouth so much, Rosa, that I’m surprised.” Releasing my shoulders, he slipped off of the bed and stood in the door. “Change your clothes, gutter rat, and I’ll walk you down, but this is your last day of school, do you understand? You need to leave Taylor Prep.”
I flinched when he slammed the door. Even though he was clearly outside in the hall, I still took a minute to sit up, my heart pounding wildly. He had every reason to threaten me after what I just said, but I couldn’t let him drive me out of the school.
I needed this. If I were ever going to become something better…if I were ever going to make my dad proud, then I needed Taylor Prep.
Shaking, I stood up and started to strip. My fumbling fingers made it difficult to take off my jacket, but I finally got out of my coffee drenched clothing and into something clean. When I opened my door, I held my breath, afraid of what would be waiting me in the hall.
Brett was by the stairs like he said he would be. I walked up to him but didn’t look at him.
Before I could take my first step down the stairs, he reached out and grabbed the back of my neck, holding me in place. It sent goosebumps all over my body and I shivered. “I’d hate to see you fall down the stairs, Rosa. Make the smart decision here and leave, okay?”
Ignoring him, I started down the stairs, holding onto the handrail. He paused and then fo
llowed me, his footsteps perfectly in time with mine. We walked that way back to homeroom, where he broke off to sit by himself. Ducking my head to avoid looking at Harper and Maggie, I slid into my seat.
“I should have offered to take you.” Jackie turned around and whispered to me. “I think we would have had more fun, although you look flushed enough that maybe you did enjoy Brett’s company.”
There was nothing for me to say, so I ignored him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of Brett’s hands on me or the way it felt when he pinned me down on the bed. I knew that I should be more focused on the fact that he wanted me to leave the school, but I was having trouble concentrating.
Luckily, I had voice in the afternoon. If I could just make it to that class, then everything would be fine.
Chapter 10
“Since we have the big vocal competition at the end of the semester, I think that we need to start bi-weekly practice. Do you guys agree?” When nobody answers me, I look up from my sheet, only to see that Amelia and her friends aren’t even paying attention to me. They’re all crowded around Amelia’s phone, watching something. “You guys, pay attention.”
Nothing.
Mrs. McKearin had slipped out of the choir room so that the group of us could figure out our practice schedule, and as soon as she did, everyone started to ignore me. Sighing, I looked up the ceiling and closed my eyes to say a little prayer. Dear God, give me the strength to not murder these stupid girls in their sleep. Amen.
While my eyes are still shut Amelia finally speaks, although I’m not sure if it’s to me or about me. “Have you seen this video yet? Pathetic.” I look over at her as she swipes the screen of her phone with a perfectly manicured finger. She and her cronies all wore bright pink nail polish, but I abstained. It’s not like they’d tell me the color so we could all match, anyway.
“What is it?” As much as I hated to admit, my curiosity was piqued and I really wanted to know what they were watching.
